The magic continues in the film adaptation of author J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter) Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald out on Blu-ray/DVD/Digital/Extended Cut from Warner Bros.
In the second of the Fantastic Beasts films captured rogue magician Grindelwald escapes and begins to assemble his followers to raise up pureblood wizards and rule over non-magic humans.
Dumbledore and Newt team up to stop him and discover betrayal, loyalty, love and danger around every turn.
It’s magic mayhem as the forces of good battle the forces of evil, with the fate of the world in the balance.
Filled with spectacular visual effects, amazing practical sets, incredible creatures and soundtrack the film is the latest and greatest chapter in the Harry Potter series.
Discover what the world of magic was like before Harry and his friends were born and how the school of Hogwart’s came about.
Combo Pack extras include several featurettes, Scene Secrets, deleted scenes and more.
They are loyal, trustworthy, anxious to please, bubbling with personality and above all...man’s best friend.
Regardless of their size, breed or gender-dogs love humans and will do practically anything to please them.
Unlike cats, dogs crave human attention and bond to them for life.
No matter how long (one hour or one year) a dog owner is away from their beloved canine companion, dogs are overjoyed to see them again.
In Carlton Books’ new The Dog Book, by Annette Conn , dogs are transformed into wonderful works of art.
Pages feature individual dogs, of all breeds, that when popped out of their die-cut pages, stand up in silhouette, making the book a 3D gallery of canine goodness.
Full-color photos of the lovable critters come with informative text about each dog all wrapped up in a small hardbound book dog lovers will...love.
When I taught high school I was somewhat dismayed to learn that most history classes don’t delve too heavily into World War II history.
It’s a shame that current generations don’t full appreciate the magnitude of the war and what would have happened if the Allied Forces had not succeded in defeating the Axis enemy.
Just try to imagine what it must have been like for that generation of young people-most in their late teens or early twenties (many who had never left their farms or small towns) to suddenly find themselves knee-deep in blood and the horrors of war in a foreign land.
Scared, unable to speak the language and thrust into a nerve-wracking and body debilitating circumstance the young men and women who fought so gallantly laid down their lives so that we here in the USA and those in the Pacific and in Europe might have freedom.
In “Everything We Have” D-Day 6.6.44. Author Gordon H. “Nick” Mueller and the WWII: The National WWII Museum New Orleans, recount that famous day when Allied troops landed in Europe and faced off against the invading Nazi military machine.
This ‘museum in a book’ is filled with archival photos of weapons, actual battle front stills and graphs and maps complemented by first-hand accounts, personal recollections, historical facts, examinations of the various beaches stormed and much, much more.
The war, with all of its horror, bloodshed, triumphs, failures and how it affected troops on both sides of the conflict are brought alive in chilling detail.
This is a book schools need to provide/teach to students so that they may be introduced to one of the most important military conflicts in history.
The planet Mars has fascinated mankind ever since its discovery.
Wild speculations about intelligent life, alien cities and strange, unearthly phenomenon spur on the imaginations of writers scholars and scientists.
Often referred to as ‘the angry 'Red Planet’ Mars is our closest planetary neighbor and many believe at some point in its history it was very much like Earth.
In Rod Pyle’s Mars: The Missions That Have Transformed Our Understanding Of The Red Planet, readers are invited to traverse the past few decades and discover how mankind has gone about exploring this strange red orb.
Photos, satellite and probe sectional and enhanced visuals and charts and maps lay out the decades old exploration of Mars by NASA scientists and other space and science agencies.
Every aspect of the planet is examined from its various zones, atmosphere, gravity and dozens of other facts about the Red Planet.
For a first-hand examination of space and planetary exploration this is the book for any aspiring space scientists.
I'm pretty well set in life. I'm retired, with a decent income. Nothing exorbitant, but adequate-my wife and I watch our nickles and dimes. We've paid off our mortgage. Our car is paid for, We have plenty of food, cloths, live in a nice neighborhood, attend a great church, are the parents of two great kids, are grandparents of a cute little boy (who is adorable by the way), we're healthy, owe no money--other that regular month-to-month bills....the list goes on and on. God has been good to us-far more that either of us deserve. My wife's family is close by, she gets to play tennis, loves to shop with her sister and can't get enough of our grandson. I love to read, ride my bike, play with my grandson, go out to eat, shop and hang out with my wife and enjoy writing my review blog. However, there are a few things I'd like to see come to fruition. I need a tablet or laptop. I want my blog, Facebook page and Twitter to grow even more with more visitors and followers. In order to write more reviews I need more review items to arrive-especially from businesses that I've been trying for years to provide them. Although I have a lot of old comic books, I'd love to find a large stash of old Gold, Silver and Bronze Age books for little of no money. My ambition is to write a large article (or articles) about such a find. I'd also like to find old toys, trading cards, model kits and other memorabilia. Everyone has a dream. I'm no exception. Hopefully God will see fit to answer my requests. While they are not 'needs', they are 'wants'. I'll have to wait and see what happens.
I haven’t had the chance to see Sony Pictures’ Spider-Man Into The Spider-Verse animated movie but I have seen a number of clips and featurettes.
It won an Oscar for best animated film of 2018.
It looks amazing! I can hardly wait for it to come out on Blu-ray!
Until then I’ll content myself with Titan Books incredible Spider-Man Into The Spider-Verse The Art Of The Movie, oversize, hardbound book.
Wow!
Starting with its spot varnish cover featuring Miles Morales as Spider-Man the book delivers a web full of wonderful art included character designs, backgrounds and pre and post production concept art and the finished product illustrations.
The amount of detail entailed in the book is incredible. I love looking at the how and why of production art, design and computer graphics.
I am amazed at the sheer amount of work that went into creating the movie and I’m equally impressed by the production value of the book.
Beautifully designed and laid out, the book is an intimate portfolio resplendent with color character renderings, setting concepts, story-boarding and start-to-finish designs.
Throw in some very ‘special’ foldouts and any lover of animation, Marvel Comics and art and design are sure to enjoy flipping though each visually packed pages complete with comprehensive and informative text.
“Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can. Tilt your head, take a look. At this incredible artwork book!”
My first encounter with the Depatie-Freleng Animation Studio was Pink Panther cartoons they produced that accompanied films at the Movie Theater.
Later on the Pink Panther would show his pink face on Saturday mornings along with other Depatie-Freleng animated creations such as The Ant And The Aardvark, The Super Six, Tijuana Toads (Texas Toads) and a plethora of other oddball and hilarious cartoon characters.
What makes Depatie-Freleng’s animated TV shows so amazing are that they are still around, shown in the afternoons and weekends and that they are still just as hilarious.
Granted some have been updated, but the heart of the cartoons remains the same.
Beside Saturday morning TV fare, DePatie-Freleng was/is responsible for some memorable commercial creations such as Charlie The Tuna.
Depatie/Freleng has adapted some well-known children literary figures to animated cartoons such as Dr. Seuss.
Think Pink! The Depatie-Freleng Story, by Mark Arnold and published by BearManor Media, chronicles the entire history of DePatie-Freleng’s animation creations.
Every character, creator, production staff member and project is named and delved into in-depth.
Black and white photos of cartoon characters (sketches and finished art), behind-the-scenes photos and more highlight the incredible amount of work the studio put out.
Readers are sure to be delighted by stories behind the creations as well as a sneak peek into the inner workings of the studio and animation.
Included in the book are listings of projects and a who’s who at the studio.
This book brought a lot of fond memories. It was a lot of fun discovering the talent behind the magic.
If you have a twisted, off-kilter and slightly oddball perspective of life then do I have the books for you.
Capstone/Stone Arch Books puts traditional fairy tales on their collective ear with its Far Out Fairy Tales Graphic Novels.
Vampires, magic, zombies and other assorted supernatural beings and objects update the tales and add whole new, clever twists to the stories.
Goldilocks And The Three Vampires sinks its teeth into a whole new interpretation of the beloved fairy tale.
This time Goldilocks is an explorer who discovers a treasure filled tomb and some cantankerous vampires as well. That bites! Text and art are courtesy of Laurie S. Sutton and C.S. Jennings.
Sleeping Beauty is a Magic Master as she goes on a magical quest to obtain strange and rare ingredients to concoct a cure for her sleeping subjects.
Stephanie True Peters and Alex Lopez provide the story and art. It’s magical!
Benjamin Harper and Fernando Cano pit Hansel & Gretel & Zombies against a evil witch with her nefarious tourist trap for the hungry zombie family.
Jak And The Magic Nano-beans by Carl Bowen and Omar Lozano goes hi-tech in a tale where Jak travels to the Cloud Kingdom with his robot Cow to obtain some nano-beans.
It’s a techno, terrific tale!
All four Far Out Fairy Tales books also contain helpful glossaries and feature delightful full-color cartoons and easy-t0-read text perfect for youngsters.
There are other classic Far Out Fairy Tales also available.
If you’re a comic book reader like myself you’re sure to get a kick out of Capstone/Stone Arch Books’ DC Comics kids novels written so kids can easily understand them and drawn to look like Warner Bros. classic animated superhero TV shows.
Besides looking cool the books are a whole new way to appreciate and collect DC Comics superheroes.
They may be created for kids but DC Comic Book collectors are sure to love them too.
Here is just a small sampling of new DC Comics based titles available.
Batman Tales Of The Batcave, both by Michael Dahl with art provided by Luciano Vecchio pit the Caped Crusader against Catwoman in The Jaguar’s Jewel and Mr. Freeze in The Frozen Zone Freeze Ray.
There are hundreds of crime trophies in the Batcave. In these two books learn how the Jaguar’s Jewel and the Freeze Ray wound up on display.
In You Choose Batman The Lazarus Plan and Batman Clayface Returns readers get to choose over ten possible endings for each tale. Will Batman and Robin and Nightwing survive? It’s all up to you.
Writer John Sazaklis artist Ethen Beavers provide two terrific tales that will keep readers guessing and at the edge of their seats.
The Dark Knight series offer two books: Batman Fights The Joker Virus and Batman And The Killer Croc Of Doom!
Can Batman defeat the Crown Prince of Crime and the reptilian monstrosity in two encounters that test Batman’s skill and strength to their limit?
Laurie S. Sutton, Luciano Vecchio, Scott Peterson and Mike Cavallaro provide the story and art.
It’s classic Batman versus his Rogue’s Gallery at its best!
Luciano Vecchio provides the art for four Batman & Robin Adventures where the Dynamic Duo are pitted against The Scarecrow (Nightmare Maze), Clayface (Slime Spree), Two-Face (Face-Off) and The Riddler (Battleship Blitz).
J.E. Bright and Laurie S. Hutton provide the stories.
Witness Batman and Robin rescue some teenagers, squelch a double set of crimes, retrieve some stolen hi-tech weapons and battle war museum arsenals!
All of the Batman books feature glossaries and other literary aids for kids.
Like most people when they are young I could not understand older folks, especially parents.
They always seemed behind the times. They took a long time to warm up to any new technology or innovation.
In my youth it was color TV, wash and wear cloths, cassette players, quad-stereos, anti-lock brakes, the latest music and the list goes on and on.
Talking to an ‘older’ person was often frustrating, drawn out and ultimately futile. We had little in common.
As I grew older I pretty much kept up with emerging technologies, social changes, growing communication avenues and cultural changes such as fashion, entertainment and the like.
But, as with everyone, I aged. I found that I (like the old folks I dealt with in my youth) started to get intimidated by new forms of communication and technology, social norms, political affiliations and the complexity of living day-to-day in this ever-changing world.
I have become my parents, with all the responsibilities of a grown-up. I have difficulty keeping up with the swift pace of change, recognizing hot trends and accepting how radically society is changing around me-much of it not for the good.
And that’s OK. I’m content to talk to people face-to-face instead of communication on Facebook, Twitter and the plethora of other social networks.
No longer am I swayed by fashion changes, the latest and greatest gadgets, popularity and trends that seem to change minute-by-minute.
I’m old, content, in no hurry, appreciative of what I have achieved and have, love my family and friends, attend church, like slow and quaint vacations and activities, enjoy sitting down with a good book, watching old movies or TV shows and relishing quiet times.
Youth has its advantages and moments but it is all too fleeting.
Old age creeps up on you slowly, rests easy on your shoulders and the wonderful reality is that you have to please or impress no one.
Growing old is not for cowards. But once you get used to it, you’ll never want back to being young-it takes too much work!
According to actor Sylvester Stallone Creed II will be the last ‘official’ screen appearance of his famous boxer character Rocky Balboa.
If you’re a big fan of Rocky be sure to watch Creed II from Warner Bros. out on a Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Combo Pack.
The son of Apollo Creed: Adonis, proved his boxing prowess in the first Creed movie.
Soon to be married and a father, Adonis must avenge his father’s legacy by fighting the son of the man who killed his father in the ring: Viktor Drago, son of Ivan Drago.
The first match does not go well for Adonis. Reluctantly Rocky agrees to train Adonis for a rematch in Russia.
What results is one of the greatest boxing rematches in cinema history.
Both Rocky and Ivan hand over their legacies to their young counterparts.
Creed II delivers a one-two punch to ever level of emotion. Both sad and jubilant, the film never preaches but delivers a heartfelt message about growing old and leaving the past and embracing today.
Extras include deleted scenes, ‘making of’ featurettes and much more.
It was the fall of 1971. I was 18 years old and in my first semester of community college. A friend whom I met in one of my art classes invited me over to her house to listen to some records.
She asked me if I’d ever heard of a singer named Elton John. I said no.
She took out a black album with a half-lite photo of Elton face on its cover, placed it on her record player and we listened.
The first song was ‘Your Song’ and I was immediately hooked. Later that week I went out and bought the album and every Elton John album after that point until ’Yellow Brick Road.”
Once he started his glitz and glamour phase I bowed out. There were a few songs after Yellow Brick Road I enjoyed but my preference was his work from the early to mid-1970s.
Elton is still around and plans on retiring soon. It’s amazing that he is still rocking this many years later.
The book goes into great detail about Elton’s career and his life on and off the stage. Personal accounts by friends and associates chronicle Elton’s rise to superstardom and his often-turbulent life.
A remarkable story follows Elton from his early roots, his discovery, collaborative work, outrageous costume obsession and his ‘coming out of the closet.’
Creative, temperamental, outspoken and brilliant are just a few of the words that describe the genius of Elton John.
Poignantly intimate and reveling the book is as straightforward and candid as Elton is.
Archival photos add to the intriguing story of one of the world’s most influence singers and musicians.
No one ever owns a cat. Unlike dogs, cats do not pander, anxiously await for their ‘owners’ to appear or bend over backwards to please them.
One does to own a cat. One is only allowed to pamper them, if the cat sees fit.
In Paperscapes: The Cat, by Jennifer Pulling, household felines are transformed into works of art via cutouts accompanied by detailed text about each breed.
Full-color photos of cats are die-cut on each page and with a quick pop and push you can make a gallery of feline silhouettes displayed once the excess paper is removed.
The small hardbound book instantly transforms into a feline art gallery with two-side cat bookmarks designating each breed.
My grandson is absolutely bonkers about dinosaurs (and trains). Dr. Mark A. Norell and the American Museum & Natural History join forces to present a huge hardbound book about prehistoric dinosaurs: The World Of Dinosaurs.
More than a simple book of dinosaur dioramas, the book is packed with full-color photos and art of the thunder lizards as imagined by artists, museum displays, dig sites and much more.
Combine the art and photos with the information packed text and you have a dinosaur book as big and colorful as the legendary lizards themselves.
Things are about to get hot-really hot! So hot that it will burn you right down to your soul.
Makes sense since Konami’s latest Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game Structure Deck is called Soulburner.
Here’s hint of what you can expect in this 40-Card Main Deck + 6-Card Extra Deck.
Fire up with Link Summoned Monsters, get reincarnated courtesy of the Sanctuary Field Spell and watch out for Salamangreat Monsters roaming the graveyard.
Structure Deck: Soulburner contains 46 Cards:
39 Commons 4 Super Rares 3 Ultra Rares 1 Beginner's Guide 1 Double-sided Deluxe Game Mat/Dueling Guide
Pick up copies of The Story Of Rock and The Story Of Rap which are ‘Perfect for baby rockers and rappers.”
Silver Dolphin Books offers pint-sized history lessons of each music genre in two delightful heavy, paper-stock books containing short history clips accompanied by colorful, fun and kid appropriate illustrations.
Kids are introduced to the musicians who started it all. Rock it or Rap it, either way music is universal and kids are sure to love each book.
Who knows, maybe a future Rocker or Rapper will draw inspiration from either book?
I was a little taken back when I received a large envelope from Master Box Ltd. I was expecting a box containing four-boxed model kits inside.
Immediately upon opening the envelope I saw what the folks at Master Box had done.
Since Master Box Ltd. is located in the Ukraine, what better way to save on postage than to fold up the model boxes, slip in the model part trees and mail them in a smaller package!
Clever-I’ll have to remember that trick when and if I ever mail something overseas.
I love it when people find creative ways to save money.
Back to the model kits. As I mentioned, there are four kits. But, before I get into each kit I’d like to mention something they all have in common.
All of the models are 1/35 Scale except one which is 1/24 Scale.
The model kit boxes feature full color art by I. Varavin that perfectly capture the scenes that can be set up and make perfect color guides for painting.
Model kits parts come on a single parts tree. Parts are easily identifiable either on the back of the package or on a separate part diagram within the model kit.
Parts detach easily from the part trees, have little or no flashing, clean up easily and fit together perfectly when assembled.
Sculptor A. Gagarin has done an excellent job of down-scaling each model part and really capturing details right down to fingers, cloth folds, facial features and accessories, weapons or other non-figure pieces.
I suggest you stock up on military paint, flesh color paint and a wide assortment of other paints in various colors. Painting guides are also included on each model kit.
All of the figures will benefit from special texturing, backgrounds and settings.
For excellent examples of this take a moment to visit Master Box Ltd.’s website to see what model makers creations form around the world have done.
Part trees come wrapped in an easy resealable plastic sleeves. What a great way to keep parts from detaching as you build your model.
Pin-Up harkens back to the days of WWII when bathing beauties posed in patriotic bathing suits to delight soldiers on the field.
Six such beauties are included in the kit along with an American flag.
Everybody seems to love movies and TV shows about the living dead.
Zombieland Series “Zombie Hunter-Road To Freedom” sees a motorcycle riding, pistol-packing mama taking on four zombies in various stages of decay. For a little added extra be sure to purchase one of Master Box’s motorcycle model kits for her to ride.
At The Edge Of The Universe, Strange Company’s Adventures Episode 1, The First Meeting has a space jockey and a rather amorous robot chatting with silver-clothed intergalactic waitress. Weapons, refreshments and armor are included.
Under Fire. Modern US Infantry recreates four foot soldiers dressed in full military regalia taking fire. Talk about realism!
Everything is spot on with realistic weapons, uniforms and stances. It’s like watching a firefight in miniature!
I have to say I am impressed by each model and I highly recommend to both novice and veteran model makers to purchase any of Master Box Ltd.’s model kits. You will not be disappointed.
I never thought this day would arrive. It seemed so far away. After all, I'm a young man. Or, I WAS a young man.
I just turned 66 years old. I retired at 62. Got my first Social Security check at 63 and my Medicare benefits at 65.
It was inevitable-I’m an old man! Does that mean I have to grow up? I hope not!
As a retiree it is important that I know all the benefits, do’s and don'ts and advice needed to deal with my latter years.
Author Stuart Turner and Haynes Publishing have got my back with their new book: Retirement Manual Mid-life Onwards: A no-nonsense guide to a happy and healthy future.
Don’t tell anyone but I’m really looking forward to reading this book and gleaning what information I can from it. Shhhh-no one is supposed to know I’m RETIRED!
All joking aside, this is an amazing book. Everything a senior citizen could ever want to know about retirement is included in this book-no kidding!
Health and wealth advice, vacation and activity suggestions, insurance and final preparations, safety and financial security, activities and family, discounts and continuing education are included in this book-the list goes on and on.
Even better, it’s fun to read, chuckle at a few cartoons and there’s even a list of other resources available for the elderly.
Growing old doesn’t have to be scary, boring or sedentary. In fact, with the help of this book seniors can discover new ways to have fun, enjoy life and family and come to the realization that retirement is not the end of life-but a bold new step toward adventure waiting to happen.
I have no use for Pinterest or other platforms. I tried You Tube and failed miserably.
At one point I had a website but after so many years my web provider moved the site to a new server. Unfortunately when that was done all of my pages and images that began with capital letters would have been renamed and linked-we’re talking about hundreds of items!
So I dropped the website. I had decided several months previously to that to do so because review blogs seemed the route to go. I kept putting it off, but when my server changed I was forced to make a decision.
Not too long ago I decided to let God take priority over and control of my review sites. I came to realize that when it came to controlling my audience size, manufacturer and publisher contacts, review samples and content of my blog, Facebook and Twitter that it was best to let God take control.
Honestly, it takes off a lot of pressure and stress.
It is my sincere desire to do a good job writing positive, uplifting reviews. I believe every company and publisher has good products. I prefer to write positive reviews of those products.
Why waste my time writing negative reviews? If a product or publication is bad, it won't take long for either of them to disappear.
Why not promote good products and the companies that create them?
I hope that more people read my reviews, friend me on Facebook and follow me n Twitter.
Better yet I’d love to make new friends, be an encouragement and help companies to thrive.
OK, I’m about to geek out! I love pop culture art. Comic books, animation, Manga, Anime and other types of fantasy, sci-fi and ‘dark’ art fascinate me.
It’s everywhere-most of it extreme and in your face.
But, to able to bring everyday scenes to life, create elaborate costumes and eye-popping visual flights of fancy takes a special kind of artistic talent. PIE International presents a trio of books that do just that. Japanese artists and illustrators strut their stuff to demonstrate their incredible talent.
TheA Bouquet of a Thousand Flowers: The Art of Senbon Umishimahttp://pie.co.jp/english/search/detail.php?ID=4988 is filled with lush illustrations in pen and ink, watercolor, computer renderings and more. Day to day scenes, over the top costumes and characters, quiet still moments, breath-taking slices of action caught in a moment and drawing studies combine to make a wonderful compilation of art that is both stimulating, calming and awe-inspiring.
Kikanetsu Art Collection Of DaisukeRichard http://pie.co.jp/english/search/detail.php?ID=5104 is filed with wonderful character studies in line and color, cluttered scenes from everyday occurrences, impressive pieces of interior and exterior shots displaying the mastery of perspective, size relationships and character placement.
This is a book that readers can spend literally hours going over each page again and again and still spot something new.
I love the sections on how each piece was laid out and completed along with color and character studies.
This is my favorite of the three books. I am absolutely in awe of each artist’s ability to take simple interior and exterior scenes, populate them and create a sense of wonder and amazement.
Whether created by traditional means or on the computer, each scene is packed full of details and subtle imagery that I could barely take my eyes.
Such beauty and talent!
I only wish I had a smidgen of the talent displayed in this wonderful, colorful and inspiring collection of work.
All three books are printed on high quality paper using the most advanced high-tech printing possible. Full-color bleed art, spot illustrations and page-framed art are carefully arranged to offer the best visual impact.
Lean on text, each book lets its illustrations tell the full story.
In the fourth movie version of the tragic musical/love story: A Star Is Born, pop star Lady Gaga delivers a one/two punch as the heroine of the film.
Her performance so delighted and surprised everyone (including the director and leading man of the film Bradley Cooper as Jackson) that there is even talk of Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations.
This brilliant new adaptation of the famous film, a seasoned musician discovers a struggling artist (Gaga as Ally) and together they make her a star and fall in love.
Tragically as her star rises their relationship starts to crumble as Jackson must battle his own inner demons.
Brilliantly directed and performed A Star Is Born is filled with touching, heart-felt moments, turmoil and ultimately triumph.
The music score and singing are amazing, as is the look and feel of the film.
Warner Bros. presents the film on Blu-ray/DVD/Digital including extras: unseen and heard songs and performances, The Making Of A Star Is Born and music videos.
A Star Is Born is a modern classic and makes for a wonderful moving experience for the tragic lover in all of us.
The Jurassic Park franchise made a huge comeback at the movies with the wildly successful release of two Jurassic World movies that introduced a whole new audience to dinosaurs gone amuck.
Movie audiences ate the movies up. There was plenty of adventure, danger, and bloodshed and horrifying and exciting moments.
All were great for older moviegoers but what about the most innocent among us--young kids?
How do you make dinosaurs fun and safe for little kids ages six ears old and up?
Scholastic Books has the answer with its full-color Jurassic Hero Activity Book featuring comics, activities and a very special Jurassic World LEGO mini-figure.
Kids will have a blast solving puzzles, connecting dots, matching, reading cool adventures, solving mazes and all sorts of other activities that challenge their mental skills and develop critical thinking.
And even better-they learn as they play!
When I was a kid my favorite TV shows and movies featured spies. I still love spy thrillers, movies and TV series.
One of the elements I loved the most about them was the cool gadgets and weapons the spies used.
In High-Tech Spy Gadgets, top secret and classified info are revealed and super cool spy gadgets are included that will make kids feel like real spies.
Included in the hard-case, flip open package is a special Spy Gadget book compiled by Kris Hirschmann with information about spy paraphernalia used through the decades, including photos and informative text.
Also included are special rear view spyglasses, an invisible ink pen with an ultraviolet light for reading the special disappearing ink and a spy electronic listening device so kids can listen in on secrets.
Secrets and espionage just got a whole lot more fun!
After the re-imagining of Superman by John Byrne in the mid-1980s up into the mid-1990’s the Superman titles by DC comics were ‘must-read’ comic books for me.
One of my all time favorite storylines was the Death of Superman followed by the Reign of Supermen and the eventual return of the Man of Steel. Warner Bros. has adapted Reign Of The Supermen to a 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray/Digital Combo Pack and like all of Warner Bros.’ direct to Blu-ray/DVD DC superhero adaptations, it rocks!
Allowing for a few continuity and story ‘tweaks’ and ‘modifications’ the Combo Pack faithfully presents one of the greatest Superman epics ever to make it to the small screen.
After the ‘death’ of Superman four new Supermen appear in Metropolis to take his place.
One is a cyborg, another is a clone of Superman, still another is a Kryptonian resurrection and the last is an engineering genius that believes he owes Superman a great debt.
No one is quite sure what to make of them, including the Justice League.
Each Superman doppelganger saves lives, squelches catastrophes and appears to want the best for the citizens of Metropolis and the world.
But, whenever virtue, honor, heroism and justice appear dark forces of evil are sure to raise their villainous heads above the shadows and that’s just what happens.
Fists fly, powers deploy and the forces of good versus evil duke it out in one the most fantastic displays of animation seen thus far in the Warner Bros. DC Universe adaptation.
Extras include a sneak peek, a Lex Luthor feature and from the DC Comics Vault: two bonus cartoons. Need I say it? It is ‘super!’
Mill Creek Entertainment presents two DVD and one Blu-ray collections: two Anime and one about a lovable mutt.
Double Feature contains two classic Anime (Metropolis) by director Osamu Tezuka and (Memories) by directors Katsuhiro Otomo, Koji Morimoto and Tensai Okamura.
In Metropolis Duke Red is about reveal an advanced robot: Tima.
Red’s violence prone son hates robots and plans on destroying Tima,
Escaping destruction, Tima roams the underbelly of Metropolis and is befriended by a police detective’s son.
When Duke Red separates the two Tima’s existence and the fate of the universe are jeopardized.
Metropolis is a true classic with stunning visuals, impressive direction and an intriguing story that twists and turns much like the underbelly of the city itself.
Three tales make up Memories.
One woman’s dreams create an entire world as discovered by two space travelers in Magnetic Rose.
Stink Bomb finds a young scientist who somehow transforms himself into a deadly biological weapon headed straight for Tokyo.
Cannon Fodder imagines an entire city dedicated to firing cannons at an unseen enemy.
Each tale is totally unique and challenges viewers to see things from a different point of view.
When I was growing up in the late 1950s and early 1960s Japanese Anime was just starting to be played in the United States.
Many of shows consisted of bits and pieces of episodes of popular Anime assembled together resulting in episodes that were dubbed in English and catered to an American audience.
One such show was Astro Boy and I loved it! Imagine a robot boy with incredible powers fighting rogue robots, monsters and whatever else he faced. It was a young boy’s dream come true!
In 2003 Astro Boy was reborn in a brand new series that successfully recaptured the awe and wonder of the original.
Watch as Astro Boy channels his atomic might to ward off invaders, criminals and dangers of all sorts. I love it!
Who doesn't like cute puppies and dogs? Especially a small, cuddly puppy with big brown eyes and a winning personality.
In the Joe Camp’s Benji Movie Collection dog lovers and fans of wholesome family entertainment are treated to three films starring everyone’s canine hero.
Benji: The Original Classic presents Benji’s first appearance.
For The Love Of Benji: Benji is lost in Athens, Greece and is desperately trying to avoid spies who want the information hidden in a tattoo on Benji’s paw.
Benji: Off The Leash! finds Benji lost in a small Mississippi town where he meets a 14-year old boy whom he finds a common purpose with that will save lives.
It’s Benji to the rescue in three terrific tales of canine cunning, cuteness and commotion!
